Energy Materials

Rapidly growing global energy demands, limited reserves of fossil fuels and associated environmental concerns, the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, the limited efficiency of existing energy conversion systems—these are the challenges that society faces today. Advanced materials are the key elements in the development of improved high-efficiency, low-cost, clean energy technologies. The section “Energy Materials” is a platform for the publication of original articles and comprehensive reviews on all aspects of fundamental science and applied research on materials used for harvesting, conversion, storage, transmission, and utilization of energy.

The topics of interest include (but are not limited to) materials for:

• Energy harvesting: piezoelectric; thermoelectric; triboelectric; magnetostrictive;
• Energy storage: batteries; supercapacitors; hydrogen technology; hydrogen storage; water splitting; steam and carbon dioxide electrolysis; phase change materials; thermal energy storage;
• Energy conversion: fuel cells; photovoltaics; nuclear; solar energy conversion; biomass, biogas, and biofuels; electrocatalysis and photocatalysis;
• Energy transmission and emission control: superconductors; high- and low-emissivity coating; thermal insulation;
• Energy-efficient technologies and devices
• Energy-related environmental aspects: CO₂ capture, utilization, and conversion; recovery and recycling of energy materials.

Both simulation/modeling and experimental contributions on design, preparation, processing, characterization, and performance of materials for energy-related technologies and applications are welcome.